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On making good coffee

A couple of years ago, I was inspired to improve my diet. As part of that, I started drinking my coffee black. As someone who formerly drank coffee with lots of artificial sweetener and non-dairy “creamer” or milk, it came as a surprise that the switch was pretty easy. I got used to black coffee in a week or two and haven’t looked back. I’ve since discovered that coffee with any kind of creamer or sweetener has now become completely unpalatable.

Drinking black coffee has also given me an appreciation for good coffee. French presses can make pretty good coffee. A talented barista can make a good Caffè Americano. Most drip machines do not make good coffee. Pod machines suck.

I once bought a high-end Tassimo pod machine for home use based on its technical merits. It’s a fine system on paper; Bar-coded pods have customized brew profiles, automatically controlling variables such as temperature, pressure, pre-infusion time, brew time, and water volume. There’s a flow-through heater that doesn’t require pre-heating. The machine is wonderfully consistent. The coffee sucks, though. The pods are too expensive and the only “flavor” we ever really found acceptable (and only just) has been discontinued. I can’t recall the last time I used the Tassimo machine.

A few months ago, I bought an Aeropress. It looks more like a torture device than a coffee brewer, but it can make an amazing cup of coffee. The 3,000+ 5-star reviews (4.7 average) on Amazon are not wrong. The first cup of coffee I made with my Aeropress was an eye-opener: Not only was it smooth, it was rich. It had astounding depth of flavor and complexity. You’ve seen coffee like this in TV advertising (oh, Pierre!), but this Aeropress coffee is real. One cup from this plastic wonder made me abandon my drip machine. If I had to pick one thing that I don’t like about it, it’s that I can only make a mug or two worth of joe at a time. It’s no good for parties.

Using the Aeropress is easy. You put a small paper filter in the filter cap, screw it onto a plastic cylinder, and place that over a coffee mug. I like to pre-wet the filter. Put in a measured amount of ground coffee (measuring device included), and fill with hot water up to the indicated mark. Stir for 10 seconds. Insert the plunger and press.

A surprising aspect of the Aeropress is that it’s effortless to clean. It mostly cleans itself while you use it. After pressing, remove the filter cap and eject the puck of spent coffee into the trash. A quick rinse and a wipe afterward is all it requires. It’s much easier to clean up than any other coffee machine or French press I’ve had. This aspect alone makes up for any additional effort required up front.

Some tips for successful Aeropressing:

Water temperature matters! Aerobie suggests 175 degrees Fahrenheit, and that’s a good starting point. With the full immersion brewing and pressure at work, traditional brewing temperatures (195-205 F) are usually too hot. Experiment with this variable to find what works best for your particular roast and your own tastes. An instant-read thermometer is essential. I eventually purchased a PID-controlled kettle to save time in the mornings.

Dilute the coffee from the Aeropress with 50-60% hot water. The stuff from the press is strongly concentrated. It’s good; I find it quite enjoyable that way, but if you want something that resembles drip coffee or an Americano, you’ll need to water it down.

Grind matters, but here it matters less than for other types of brewing. You want to shoot for a grind slightly finer than you’d use to make drip coffee. Folks claim you don’t need a great grinder with the Aeropress, and to an extent, that’s true. You’ll get better results with a whirring-blade grinder and an Aeropress than you will with that grinder combined with any other brewing method. A burr grinder is better; The consistency will allow you to control the force required to press the water through the grounds. Ideally, it shouldn’t be difficult to press, and you should be able to press the water through in 20-30 seconds.

If you’re making coffee for two people, press the brew into a measuring cup, then fill with hot water around 14-16 oz, stir, and pour into two mugs.

If you like a bolder cup, consider getting one of the many metal filters available for the Aeropress. I have an Abel Disk-Fine, and I find that it can really improve some coffees.